Can’t see the trees? The forest was sold

Re “Large Sale of Forest Planned,” Feb. 11

The chutzpah of this administration knows no bounds. Now it wants to sell off our patrimony -- our national lands -- to pay for schools and roads. If it didn’t waste so much money on an inefficient war effort, perhaps there would be money for rural schools.

Members of this administration are totally hostile toward the idea of stewardship of our public lands. They just want to hand as much as possible over to private interests. And I don’t trust them when they say that these lands are not critical for habitat. Forest creatures wander over large areas. Continuity of habitat is key to animal survival; breaking it up is just wrong.

The only good thing about this proposal is that it might create a backlash from the public to stave off this and any future proposals to sell off our lands.

SARI REZNICK

San Diego

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Congratulations to the Bush administration for hitting the trifecta with its budget proposal. By cutting funds to education and then proposing to make up the shortfall by selling off public land to timber companies, it has managed to demonstrate its contempt for the environment, education and the intelligence of the American public in one fell swoop. Congratulations also to the timber and energy industries, whose “investments” in political campaigns continue to pay off handsomely at the public’s expense.

JEREMY FRIESNER

Pasadena

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I guess we should not be surprised that our public land is being sold to provide needed services. If you look at the condition of our roads, you can understand the need. The fact is, the United States is broke. And when you are broke you have to sell your most precious assets to stay afloat. Still, it hurts to see our country in such sorry shape.

GENE MENZIES

Rodeo, Calif.

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Apparently the Bush team did learn one lesson from the Iraq war: how to loot public resources.

VICTOR FRESCO

Santa Monica